I refuse to argue about abortion. It only breeds bad blood. The only time people usually change their minds if suddenly they find themseleves pregnant when they don't want to be, or see a freind in a terrible crisis of pregnancy.

At one time, believe it or not, I was anti-choice (I was very young, a virgin, thought I would be one until I was married, and raised VERY Catholic. I saw a good friend in an impossible situation; pregnant because she had sought affection in the wrong place, having an abusive, alcoholic father who would have literally beat her half to death if she came home pregnant. She had no choice, and it totally opened my closed Catholic mind. It was absolutely mind changing, because I had been brought up (wrongly) to think that women who wanted abortions were evil, selfish, child hating demons. This girl was anything but any of those things. She was an abused girl in big trouble. I saw how she was treated in her home and it occurred to me, "Holy crap, this girl literally has no choice but to end the pregnancy." She asked me, tearfully to go to the Clinic with her and I was gobsmacked. It turned my world upside down. Here was a very nice, sweet, loving girl who found herself in an impossible situation with only two outcomes: come home pregnant and probably end up in the hospital beaten to shit (and in those days DCFS rarely got involved with teens who were abused) or end the pregnancy and move on. She chose the SANE, but difficult choice of ending the pregnancy. She is now a loving, caring mother and wife who regrets it HAD to happen, but was glad the right to make her own choice (and not be beaten to death) was there for her.

I would consider the ability to choose IF you have children, WHEN you have children, and by what means you have children or avoid pregnancy and birth to all be natural rights inherent to everyone. This includes abortion.

The notion of where life begins is purely a philosophical/spiritua l/religious opinion and as such should stay out of law.

There were anti-abortion protesters at my school last week taking a survey on students' opinions on abortion. I told myself I'd fill it out when I got out of class but they were gone by that time. I was kicking myself for that because I live in an incredibly red state.

What's your take on it? (Results are private, so please vote honestly.)

Strange. Just befoe I came over to the forums I was reading my E-mail and had one about how bad abortion is. I won't go off and explain my book long opinion. I remember just minutes ago though, thinking "try walking in THAT woman's shoes!" I have not aborted and wouldn't, but a woman has her decision and I TOTALLY respect whatever she chooses. Why do people think it affects them whether or not she has her baby? I was raped and when I wondered whether or not I was pregnant, I knew then that I would abort. Under any other circumstances I would not, but there's no way I could have that tie to my rapist forever. I think if the option to abort is not there then the already high rates of child abuse, neglect, and murder will be way higher. Yea, maybe you say, but abortion is murder. OK, I won't argue over that, but when I said murder would be higher I mean that women kill their babies, toddlers and kids everyday. They neglect them, leave them without love and food for days, weeks, etc. That's VERY painful. I'd rather have a quick death than a slow, drawn out one. It's not my decision, but I think every woman should be entitled to her body and decisions.

I voted to keep abortions legal with the hope that abortion would very rarely be necessary; with education and better access to birth control.

The very idea that a woman who uses birth control is a "slut" or a prostitute is obscene!

OK, I do agree that abortion should NOT be used as a regular form of birth control. BC is free in most places so there's no excuse for not using it if you're going to really need it. I am pro abortion, but I do not think the choice to have one should be abused and used for contraceptive.

Abortion should be legal to those who want/need it end of story. People who don’t believe in abortion and don’t get ones IS fine. Don't push your beliefs on others. It's their and your decision; keep your nose out of their business!
It shouldn't be a normal form of birth control but everyone should be able to have the option.

What's your take on it? (Results are private, so please vote honestly.)

I'm for it, but only in certain situations but it doesn't work that way. So, I think it should remain legal. I love kids, I want one of my own some day so it's not that I don't value the life of a person.
In cases of rape and incest I think a woman deserves the right to choose. I honestly don't think I could go through it if I got raped and it takes a STRONG woman to do it but that doesn't make her any better than a woman that couldn't do it.
If I was told that the child was going to be born with such a severe disability that it would greatly affect the quality of life they live, then I'd have some thinking to do. I'm talking MAJOR problems, no cure, constant medical attention, possibly the child would be in some sort of pain constantly.
Some people may find this one selfish but it's how I really feel. If I was told I could die while giving birth early enough in the pregnancy then I don't think I could I risk it. Women deserve the choice if their life is in danger. Like I said, LOVE kids so please don't look at me as some sick, devil person.

I don't think it's right to use this as a form of birth control. An "oops" I got drunk and slept around and now I'm pregnant kind of deal. That's just not right to me. Teenagers (and adults too) getting abortions because they aren't ready or feel like they can't do it is wrong to me too. I have a friend that played around and wound up pregnant and she got an abortion. I still love her and I never said anything to her but I don't agree with her choice. Then turn around a year later and get pregnant and have that child. Just doesn't sit right with me. If I got pregnant from an "accident" (not rape) then I would deal with it.

I am not for abortion, and I think there's been a lot of falling down on the 'rare' part of 'Safe, legal, and rare'. I don't believe in stranding everyone who can perform the procedure in Guadalcanal, but I do not think it should be presented as the easy or the only responsible option.

However, unlike many people in my field, I don't think I can qualify as "anti-choice" (and honestly, I hate people that paint abortion opponents as anti-choice, and equally hate those who paint abortion supporters as "pro-death"). I'm very pro birth control and pro sex education. I just think that when a life becomes involved, it's not really a choice anymore. I have no idea when life begins, and I don't think anyone else does either, and I would rather err on the side of caution than condemn someone to death for being inconvenient.

I believe in 'minding my own uterus'. I don't want you to tell me what I can and can't do with my body and in exchange I won't tell you what you can and can't do with yours nor will I judge you for it.
I don't live your life everyday so I don't know what challenges you face. Not to mention that making abortion illegal is only going to open the door to more 'alley' abortions that will result in the death of many scared young women. I know abortion isn't right for me, but if it is for you, that is YOUR business.

Abortion should be legal up until viability. After that, the fetus should be delivered rather than aborted. Either way, a woman should have the final say on whether or not her body is shared with another.

Abortion should be legal up until viability. After that, the fetus should be delivered rather than aborted. Either way, a woman should have the final say on whether or not her body is shared with another.

I agree with this. It is not my body, so it is not my choice to tell a women what she can do with it.

I believe in 'minding my own uterus'. I don't want you to tell me what I can and can't do with my body and in exchange I won't tell you what you can and can't do with yours nor will I judge you for it.I don't live
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I believe in 'minding my own uterus'. I don't want you to tell me what I can and can't do with my body and in exchange I won't tell you what you can and can't do with yours nor will I judge you for it.I don't live your life everyday so I don't know what challenges you face. Not to mention that making abortion illegal is only going to open the door to more 'alley' abortions that will result in the death of many scared young women. I know abortion isn't right for me, but if it is for you, that is YOUR business.

>>I believe in 'minding my own uterus'. I don't want you to tell me what I can and can't do with my body and in exchange I won't tell you what you can and can't do with yours nor will I judge you for it.<<

I live in a country where many women use abortions as a form of birth control. Some of my friends have actually had eight of them, used the day after pill so many times that she buys them by the box. I live in a country where there are advertisements on buses, on the streets, on buildings of abortion "sales". And abortions are pretty cheap even by their standards. I live in a country where children are taught, "only married women can have babies". Sexual education is not taught IN ANY FORM. Where some doctors say, that a woman from mall to medium sized cities will have one to two abortions in her life.

This... where people don't even think about it, don't attempt to prevent the pregnancy in the first place, who use it as a form of birth control... This is where I disagree with abortions, and feel that through education people can be better prepared to handle various situations.

I do beleive that abortions up to a certain period in the pregnancy should be legal. One of my reasons is quite simple, can you imagine the harm to the child if the mother does not want them? That's nine months of sharing a body with someone who resents, hates, doesn't want you... yes I know there is very little science to back up this claim that the child somehow knows this, but... If the mother goes through stress, the baby is effected. Who is to say that if the mother has unwanted feelings towards the child that the child won't be affected?

I think it should be the woman's choice. I know if I discovered I was pregnant five years ago, I wouldn't have blinked twice getting one because I was a horrible person then. Now? I would have second thoughts and not certain.